The role of the plasma membrane in the development of Dictyostelium discoideum. II. Developmental and topographic analysis of polypeptide and glycoprotein composition

Previous workers have shown in a variety of ways that cell contact is required for the differentiation of Dictyostelium discoideum. Because interactions between cells are probably mediated by molecules on their plasma membranes, we have characterized the polypeptide composition of the membrane of cells at different stages of development. At least 55 polypeptides are found in the plasma membrane of vegetative cells. The polypeptide composition of the plasma membranes changes considerably during development. Treatment of intact cells with pronase indicated that many of the altered components appear to be located on the external surface of the plasma membrane where they could participate in interactions between cells. Similar digestion of the isolated membranes destroys most of their polypeptides, indicating that the bulk of the proteins of the plasma membrane are not completely embedded in the membrane. Several polypeptides appear to change in sensitivity to pronase during development. There are several changes in glycoprotein composition which occur between log phase and aggregation phase. An almost complete change in glycoprotein species occurs between aggregation and pre-culmination. Unlike the polypeptides, the glycoproteins are very resistant to pronase treatment in intact cells. However, some are pronase sensitive in isolated membranes.